Table top refrigerated beverage dispenser

ABSTRACT

A self-contained beverage chilling apparatus including a refrigerant cooling system comprising a refrigerant reservoir in a fluid communication with a cold plate, a refrigerator accumulator, a compressor and a refrigerant condenser mounted within a housing unit. The housing unit further included beverage inlet means in fluid communication with the cooling system cold plate, and beverage dispenser means in fluid communication with the cold plate wherein the beverage to be dispensed is chilled to a desired temperature as it passes through the cold plate to the beverage dispensing means.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of pendingapplication Ser. No. 10/705,774 filed on Nov. 10, 2003 now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related generally to beverage dispensingsystems employing a cooling subsystem, and more particularly to aself-contained, table top beverage dispenser incorporating arefrigerant-chilled cold plate for cooling the beverage.

2. Description of Related Art

In a large number of restaurants, taverns, pubs, and clubs where beer issold at a bar, beer kegs are stored in a cold room where they can bemaintained at a reduced temperature along with other perishable fooditems and beverages. These cold rooms are typically maintained at atemperature of approximately 40° F. The beer is conducted from the coldrooms to serving towers at the bar through plastic tubes or beer linesthat extend within a thermally insulated jacket, or trunk line. Thedistance between the cold room and the tower can be as little as fifteenfeet and as great as two hundred feet, depending on the layout of theparticular establishment. To move the beer through the lines, suchsystems require a pressurization subsystem that forces the beer from thecold room down the length of beer line to the beer tower for dispensing.The pressurization subsystem introduces a gas such as nitrogen or carbondioxide into the beverage, pressurizing the beverage to enable it to bepumped through the beer lines.

As the beer is communicated from the cold room to the dispensing tower,it gains heat from the ambient atmosphere and warms to a temperatureabove the original 40° F. Even enveloped in the thermally insulatedtrunk line, traveling seventy five feet the beer in the trunk line canresult in a beer temperature increase of 8° F. at the end of the trunkline. Thus, where the length of the beer lines from the cold room to thedispensing towers is not minimal, the beer dispensing system willtraditionally include one or more refrigerated glycol chillers thatincorporate glycol re-circulating lines of plastic tubing that extendwithin the thermally insulated trunk line carrying the beer lines. Thepresence of the glycol recirculation lines can reduce the warming of thebeer by five to six degrees, resulting in an end temperature as low as42° F., or a two degree rise from cold room to the end of the trunkline.

The trunk lines may lead to a counter top supporting cabinetry such thattheir downstream ends terminate below the counter tops, where theyconnect with balance lines that extend from the down stream end of thetrunk line to the delivery tubes adjacent the respective dispensingvalve. In practice the beer flowing from the beer lines, through thebalance lines and stainless steel tubes can be expected to further warmfrom 2° F. to 4° F. Accordingly, in the example above beer initially at40° F. in the cold room is warmed to 42° F. at the downstream end of thetrunk line, and further warmed to approximately 45° F. by the time itreaches the dispensing valve.

When beer is charged with a gas such as carbon dioxide to move the beerthrough the various lines, the gas is entrained or dissolved in thefluid and resides in a stable state for temperatures below or atapproximately 30° F. That is, the gas does not bubble out of the fluidbut is carried by the fluid and gives the beverage its distinctiveeffervescence when consumed. However, as the temperature of the beerrises above 30° F., absent an increase in pressure on the system, thegas gradually becomes increasingly unstable and begins to bubble or foamout of the flowing beer. Further warming of the beer increases thefoaming effect as the gas bubbles coalesce and propagate downstream, andfoaming is further exacerbated by disturbances in the beer such as theturbulence generated when the beer is dispensed from the dispensingvalve. When beer is warmed to 45° F. or more, when exposed to normalambient room pressure, the gas becomes so unstable and so much foam isgenerated when it is dispensed through the valves that it can oftentimes cannot be served to patrons. As a result, the beer dispensedthrough the valve must be discarded as waste resulting in significanterosion of the owner's profit.

In the recent past, the purveyors of beer using systems such as thatdescribed above have resorted to the inclusion of jacketed heatexchangers in the beer distribution systems just prior to the dispensingvalves to chill beer to a low temperature at the down stream end of thetrunk lines. The heat exchangers are thermally insulated cast aluminumor aluminum alloy cold plates that incorporate stainless steel tubularbeer conducting coils for communicating beer from the downstream end ofthe trunk lines to the upstream end of the balance lines. Within thecold plates next to the beer conducting coils are a series of coolantre-circulating coils used to remove heat from the beer in a heatexchanger relationship. Typically the coolant used in such systems hasbeen glycol.

The chilled glycol carries heat away from the cold plate and the beerlines within the cold plate in a continuous manner to lower thetemperature of the beer entering the balance lines. If the glycol ischilled to, for example, 28° or 29° F. where it enters the cold plate itcan be expected that the beer flowing through the cold plate will bechilled to about 29° F. In such case, the beer as it leaves the coldplate will be conducted to the dispensing valve via the balance linesand will be dispensed at about 29° F. At this temperature, thegeneration of foam can be minimal if attention and care is applied whenthe delivery is carried out through the dispensing valve and profits canbe preserved.

A system such as that described above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,694,787, entitled “Counter Top Beer Chilling Dispensing Tower,” issuedDec. 9, 1997 and which the present inventor was a co-inventor. The '787patent described a glycol recirculating coil unit or basket includingelongate tubular glycol inlet and outlet tube sections having upstreamends connected to an upstream manifold and downstream ends connected toa downstream manifold.

Although the system disclosed in the '787 patent provided for acounter-top chilling and dispensing apparatus, it required the use of aglycol reservoir and glycol pump which take up significant space andrequire proper maintenance for efficient operation.

A need therefore exists for a tabletop chilled beverage dispensingsystem which is compact, easy to maintain and does not require theutilization of a glycol reservoir or pump.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a beverage dispensing system fordispensing chilled beverages comprising a housing with one or morebeverage inlet connections extending from said housing and one or morebeverage dispensers extending from said housing. A beverage coolingsystem is positioned within said housing, said cooling system comprisinga reservoir containing a supply of refrigerant, a cold plate in fluidcommunication with said refrigerant reservoir wherein the refrigerantlines extend through said cold plate. The cooling system furtherincludes an accumulator, a compressor, a refrigerant condenser and athermal expansion valve positioned between said refrigerant reservoirand said cold plate to adjust the flow of refrigerant depending upon thetemperature of the cold plate, wherein beverage lines extend betweensaid beverage inlet connections and beverage dispensing outlets, saidbeverage lines passing through said cold plate in a heat exchangerelationship with the refrigerant lines.

An electronic control system is provided for controlling the operationof the beverage cooling system. The electronic control system includesan on/off switch controlling the operation of the beverage dispenser,and a pressure switch controlling the operation of the compressor. Asecond pressure switch is provided for controlling the beverageevaporator coil, a liquid line coil and a time delay relay. A manualdefrost switch is provided for operating a defrost line in the event thecold plate becomes frozen.

Alternate embodiments of the present invention may utilize a differingbeverage cooling system wherein the system is controlled or monitored bya thermostatic control which monitors the temperature of the cold plate.Alternatively, flow of refrigerant to the cold plate may be controlledby means of a hot gas valve which diverts the flow of refrigerant fromthe cold plate or a pressure switch connected to the suction side of thecompressor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the subject invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the refrigerant cooling system of the subjectinvention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the electrical control system of the subjectinvention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a beverage line coil basket used in the coldplate in one embodiment of the subject invention; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the coil basket shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a diagram view of an alternative configuration of therefrigerant cooling system of the subject invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram view of a second alternative configuration of therefrigerant cooling system of the subject invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a third alternative configuration of therefrigerant cooling system of the subject invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a fourth alternative configuration of therefrigerant cooling system of the subject invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The stand alone, self-contained beverage dispenser 1 of the presentinvention is shown in FIG. 1. Although the subject invention will bedescribed in the context of the beverage to be dispensed being beer, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited to the dispensingof beer. The dispenser of the subject invention may be utilized to chilland dispense any other beverage that may be desired. Beverage dispensingoutlets 10a and b extend out of the front end of housing 14. Thebeverage dispensing outlets may be beer taps or other such dispensersknown to those skilled in the art. A beverage spill tray 16 ispositioned beneath the dispensing outlets 10a and b.

Beverage dispenser 1 may be mounted on a counter-top or other supportsurface. Beverage inlet connections (not shown) are provided on the rear18 of beverage dispenser 1. The beverage dispenser 1 may be easilyinstalled at the desired location. One need simply run the beveragelines from the beverage supply, i.e. beer keg, to the location forconnection to the beverage dispenser unit.

A refrigerant cooling system 20 is contained within the housing 14 so asto provide a self-contained beverage dispenser which does not require aseparate glycol chiller and pump as required in prior art systems.

The refrigerant cooling system 20 of the subject invention is shown inFIG. 2. The cooling system 20 includes receiver 22 which acts as thereservoir for the refrigerant, which is in fluid communication with coldplate 24 via refrigerant line 25. Refrigerant cooling lines extendthrough cold plate 24 to cool corresponding beverage lines which alsoextend through cold plate 24. The cold plate utilized is a standard coldplate known to those skilled in the art wherein the beverage andrefrigerant lines may be wound within the cold plate to increase thelength of the lines positioned within said cold plate. The coolingsystem 20 also includes accumulator 26, compressor 28 and refrigerantcondenser 30. As shown, refrigerant exits the cold plate 24 and flows toaccumulator 26 via refrigerant line 27. From the accumulator 26, therefrigerant travels to the compressor 28 via refrigerant line 29. Therefrigerant flows from the compressor 28 to the condenser 30 viarefrigerant line 31.

The operation of the refrigerant system is described below, inconnection with FIGS. 2 and 3.

The refrigerant, in a preferred embodiment type 404a is used, enters thecompressor 28 at point A as a low pressure gas and is discharged fromthe compressor as a high pressure gas at point B. It then enters the topof the condenser 30 at point C.

The refrigerant is cooled in the condenser, exiting it as a highpressure liquid, and passes through a drier 32 (which retains unwantedscale, dirt and moisture) to the liquid line valve 34, which is openwhenever the cold plate 24 is warm enough to require cooling, asdetermined by a pressure switch PSW2.

The refrigerant, still in a high pressure liquid state, flows throughthe liquid line valve and enters the receiver tank 22, which serves as astorage tank for the refrigerant at point D.

At point E, the refrigerant exits the receiver tank, passes through asight glass 36 (where bubbles will be observed if the system is low onrefrigerant) and encounters the thermal expansion valve 38.

A pressure differential is provided across the thermal expansion valve.This valve includes a sensor bulb that measures the degree of superheatof the suction gas exiting the cold plate and expands or contracts toallow the flow of refrigerant to be varied according to need. Therefrigerant leaving the thermal expansion valve will be in a lowpressure liquid state.

At the thermal expansion valve 38 there is also a small equalizer tube39 connected to the outlet of the cold plate 24. The equalizer tube 38helps to equalize the pressure between the inlet and outlet side of thecold plate 24.

After passing through the thermal expansion valve 38, the refrigerantenters the cold plate 24 at point G. As the liquid refrigerant entersthe cold plate it is subjected to a much lower pressure due to thesuction created by the compressor and the pressure drop across theexpansion valve. Thus, the refrigerant tends to expand and evaporate. Indoing so, the liquid refrigerant absorbs energy (heat) from beveragelines within the cold plate 24.

The low pressure gas leaving the cold plate 24 encounters the evaporatorvalve 40, whose function is to trap refrigerant in the cold plate, thushelping to keep the cold plate cold while it is absorbing heat from thebeverage, i.e. beer in a preferred embodiment. From the evaporator valve40, the gas passes into the accumulator 26, which prevents any slugs ofliquid refrigerant from passing directly into the compressor, andcontinues back to the compressor 28.

The thermal expansion valve 38 mentioned above is used instead of acapillary tube in order to provide improved response to the coolingneeds of the cold plate 24.

The electrical control system 50 is illustrated in FIG. 3. Refrigerationon/off switch SW1 provides power to the entire system by manuallydepressing the switch. Pressure switch SW2 monitors the refrigerantpressure in the compressor and cycles of the compressor and condenserfan (not shown) when the pressure drops to a predetermined level, 15 psiin a preferred embodiment, and cycles the compressor and fan back onwhen the pressure reaches a second predetermined level, 30 psi in apreferred embodiment. The pressure switch PSW2 normally will be set tomonitor refrigerant pressure with a range in the low pressure side ofthe compressor and cycles off the compressor and condenser fan (notshown) when refrigerant pressure drops to approximately 10 to 20 psi andcycles the compressor back on at approximately 25 to 30 psi. Pressureswitch SW3 monitors refrigerant pressure in the beverage cold plate.When the pressure drops to a predetermined level, approximately 62-65psi in a preferred embodiment, pressure switch SW3 cycles off thebeverage evaporator coil, liquid line solenoid coil and time delay relayTM-1. When the refrigerant pressure rises to a second predeterminedlevel, approximately 72-75 psi in a preferred embodiment, the switch SW3cycles on the beverage (beer) evaporator solenoid coil, liquid linesolenoid and the time delay relay TM-1. A push-button defrost switch SW4is provided to cycle on the hot gas solenoid and cycle off the condenserfan to deliver hot gas to the cold plate should the cold plate becomefrozen.

Pressure switch SW3 responds to the cold plate 24 temperature by readingthe pressure of the refrigerant as it is discharged from the cold plate.When the cold plate becomes warm enough the liquid line valve and theevaporator valve open, thereby allowing refrigerant to flow throughoutthe system. When the cold plate becomes cool enough these valves willclose, trapping most refrigerant in the system but allowing gaseousrefrigerant to pump from the accumulator into the compressor. Pumpingfrom the accumulator into the compressor extends the life of thecompressor by preventing it from having to start against a high pressuredifferential.

The time delay relay TM-1 causes the liquid line valve and theevaporator valve to remain open for about 10 seconds after the pressureswitch SW3 tells them to close. It allows some time for the system tostabilize and prevents short cycling of the compressor.

As shown in FIG. 2, defrost valve 42 is installed between the compressordischarge tube and the cold plate inlet. A manually operated momentaryswitch SW4 may be deployed to open the defrost valve, which allows highpressure gas from the compressor to be pumped into the cold plate tothaw it, should it freeze up. To prevent damaging the system, the switchshould not be held on for more than two minutes.

The refrigerated beverage system described herein is capable ofproducing 16 ounce draws on a continual basis at a dispensing oftemperature of approximately 29° F. based upon a beverage (beer) inlettemperature of 60° F. and ambient room temperature of 70° F.

An alternative configuration of the refrigerant coolant system is shownin FIG. 6. In this embodiment a thermostatic control is provided forcontrolling the temperature of the liquid being chilled through the coldplate.

The refrigerant cooling system 100 of this embodiment includesrefrigerant condenser 130, drier 132, cold plate 124, accumulator 126,heat exchanger 150 and compressor 128. The refrigerant condenser 130 isin fluid communication with cold plate 124 by means of refrigerant line125 and capillary line 127. As with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2,refrigerant exits cold plate 124 and travels to accumulator 126 by meansof refrigerant line 131. The cooling system 100 shown in FIG. 6 is acritical charge type system utilizing just enough refrigerant to fillthe system.

As with the prior embodiment, the refrigerant, preferably type 404a,enters the compressor 128 at point A₁ as a low pressure gas and isdischarged from the compressor as a high pressure gas at point B₁. Itthen enters the condenser at point C₁. Compressor 128 is in fluidcommunication with condenser 130 by means of refrigerant line 134.

The operation of this embodiment of the cooling system is similar to thesystem described in connection with FIG. 2. Refrigerant is cooled incondenser 130 and exits the condenser as a high pressure liquid, passingthrough drier 132. From drier 132 the refrigerant flows throughcapillary line 127 to heat exchanger 150 and from heat exchanger 150into cold plate 124. As the refrigerant passes through cold plate 124 itcools the liquid flowing through the beverage lines (not shown). Therefrigerant then exits the cold plate 124 and flows to the accumulator126, through heat exchanger 150 and on through to the compressor 128. Bypassing the refrigerant through heat exchanger 150 as it flows fromaccumulator 126 to compressor 128 one avoids excess liquid build up incompressor 128.

As shown in FIG. 6, heat exchanger 150 is comprised of coil 150b formedin capillary line 127 and coil 150a formed in refrigerant line 133.Coils 150a and 150b are positioned together in a heat exchangerelationship. They may be joined together by soldering, the utilizationof shrink wrap or other mechanical means known to those skilled in theart.

The operation of compressor 128 is controlled by thermostatic control152 which is provided on cold plate 124. Depending upon the desiredtemperature of the chilled beverage the thermostatic control 152 is setto a pre-determine temperature setting. By way of example, therefrigerant cooling system 100 of this embodiment may be used to producechilled shots of an alcoholic beverage at 5° F. To produce chilledbeverage at this temperature using type 404a in the refrigerant thethermostatic control 152 would be set at to turn on the compressor whenthe temperature reached 7° F. and turn off the compressor when itreached 3° F., and the compressor pressure would be set at approximately38 psi. When the thermostatic control senses a cold plate temperature of7° F., (i.e. the cold plate is warming up) compressor 128 is activatedresulting in the discharge of high pressure gas at point B, and thetransmission of the refrigerant gas through refrigerant line 134 tocondenser 130. When the temperature of cold plate 124 reaches apredetermined temperature, such as 3° F., thermostatic control 152causes compressor 128 to turn off. One skilled in the art will recognizethat the system can be set to differing on and off temperaturesdepending upon the beverage being chilled or how closely it is desiredto maintain the beverage at a predetermined temperature.

Alternatively, rather then using a thermostatic control the temperatureof the liquid being chilled can be controlled by means of monitoring therefrigerant hot gas pressure. The refrigerant coolant system monitoringthe refrigerant hot gas pressure is shown in FIG. 7.

The refrigerant cooling system 200 of this embodiment includesrefrigerant condenser 230, drier 232, cold plate 224, accumulator 226,heat exchanger 250, hot gas valve 256 and compressor 228. Therefrigerant condenser 230 is in fluid communication with cold plate 224by means of refrigerant line 225 and capillary line 227. As with theembodiment shown in FIG. 6, the refrigerant exits cold plate 224 andtravels to accumulator 226 by means of refrigerant line 231.

As with the prior embodiment, the refrigerant, preferably type 404a,enters the compressor 228 at point A₂ as a low pressure gas and isdischarged from the compressor as a high pressure gas at point B₂. Itthen flows to condenser 230 by means of refrigerant line 234 and entersthe condenser at point C₂.

The operation of this embodiment of the cooling system is similar to thesystem described in connection with FIG. 6. Refrigerant is cooled incondenser 230 and exits the condenser as a high pressure liquid, passingthrough drier 232. From drier 232 the refrigerant flows throughcapillary line 227 to heat exchanger 250 and from heat exchanger 250into cold plate 224. As the refrigerant passes through cold plate 224 itcools the liquid flowing through the beverage lines enclosed within thecold plate. The refrigerant then exits the cold plate 224 and flows tothe accumulator 226, through heat exchanger 250 and then to thecompressor 228.

As shown in FIG. 7, bypass line 255 is provided between capillary tube227 and refrigerant line 234. Hot gas bypass valve 256 is provided inbypass line 255. Depending upon the desired temperature of the chilledbeverage as well as the freezing point of the beverage the hot gas valve256 is set to a pre-determine pressure setting. By way of example, therefrigerant cooling system 200 of this embodiment may be used to producechilled shots of an alcoholic beverage of 5° F., as well as chill abeverage such as beer to a temperature of 29° F. To produce chilledbeverage at a temperature of 5° F. the hot gas valve 256 would be set ata back side pressure of approximately 250-270 psi. To produce chilledbeverage at a temperature of approximately 29° F., the hot gas valvewould be set at a back side pressure of approximately 150 psi. Thecooling system 200 of this embodiment is a critical charge type systemin which just enough refrigerant is provided to fill the system with theuse of or need for a refrigerant reservoir. In operation, the coolingsystem operates continuously with refrigerant being continuallycirculated through the cold plate. This continuous operation could leadto a “freezing up” of the cold plate depending upon the beverage beingchilled. This is avoided by the provision of the bypass valve 256 onbypass line 255. Bypass valve 256 is set to open when the back side hotgas pressure reaches a certain predetermined pressure. When the hot gasback pressure reaches the pre-set level, hot gas valve 256 opens and therefrigerant is drawn through bypass line 255 back into the condenser 230rather than through cold plate 224. This prevents the cold plate frombeing cooled to a level which would cause the cold plate to freeze thebeverage flowing through the beverage lines cast within the cold plate.When the temperature of the cold plate rises to a predetermined level,the change in hot gas back pressure will cause hot gas valve 256 toclose. This, in turn, re-introduces the flow of refrigerant through thecold plate 224.

Yet another refrigerant coolant system is shown in FIG. 8. As shown inthis embodiment the temperature of the liquid being chilled iscontrolled by monitoring the pressure on the suction side of thecompressor.

The refrigerant cooling system 300 of this embodiment includesrefrigerant condenser 330, drier 332, cold plate 324, accumulator 326,heat exchanger 350 and compressor 328. The refrigerant condenser 330 isin fluid communication with cold plate 324 by means of refrigerant line325 and capillary line 327. As with the embodiment shown in FIG. 6,refrigerant exits cold plate 324 and travels to accumulator 326 by meansof refrigerant line 331. From accumulator 326 the refrigerant flowsthrough heat exchanger 350 to low pressure inlet A₃ on compressor 328.

As with the prior embodiment, the refrigerant, preferably type 404a,enters the compressor 328 at point A₃ as a low pressure gas and isdischarged from the compressor as a high pressure gas at point B₃. Itthen enters the condenser at point C₃.

The operation of this embodiment of the cooling system is similar to thesystem described in connection with FIG. 6. Refrigerant is cooled incondenser 330 and exits the condenser in a high pressure liquid, passingthrough drier 332. From drier 332 the refrigerant flows throughcapillary line 327 to heat exchanger 350 and from heat exchange 350 intocold plate 324. As this refrigerant passes through cold plate 324 itcools the liquid flowing through the beverage lines (not shown) enclosedwithin the cold plate. The refrigerant then exits the cold plate 324 andflows to the accumulator 326 then to the compressor 328.

The operation of compressor 328 is controlled by pressure switch 358which monitors the pressure on the suction side (A₃) of compressor 328.Depending upon the desired temperature of the chilled beverage thepressure switch 358 is set to a pre-determine pressure setting. By wayof example, the refrigerant cooling system 300 of this embodiment may beused to produce chilled shots of an alcoholic beverage of 5° F. Toproduce chilled beverage at this temperature the pressure switch 358would be set at 39 psi. When the pressure of the refrigerant in gas line331 on the suction side of the compressor reached 38 psi, switch 358will turn off the compressor 328. When the pressure reaches apredetermined level pressure switch 358 will turn on the compressor. Toavoid unduly taxing the compressor one skilled in the art will know toset the pressure switch 358 to a predetermined pressure range whichequates to a predetermined temperature range, by way of example ±2° F.

Finally, an additional embodiment of this refrigerant system is shown inFIG. 9. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. Inthis embodiment refrigerant cooling system 400 includes refrigerantcondenser 430, drier 432, cold plate 424, accumulator 426 and compressor428. The refrigerant condenser 430 is in fluid communication with coldplate 424 by means of refrigerant line 425, drier 432 and capillary tube427. As with the prior embodiments, the refrigerant exits the cold plate424 and travels to accumulator 426 by means of refrigerant line 431.From accumulator 426 the refrigerant flows through heat exchanger 450 tocompressor 428. As shown in FIG. 9, pressure regulator 460 is providedbetween cold plate 424 and accumulator 426. Pressure regulator 460 iscontrolled by pressure control 462 which allows for adjustment of thesystem pressure settings to accommodate different beverage temperaturesettings.

As shown in FIG. 9, bypass line 455 is provided between capillary tube427 and refrigerant line 434. Hot gas bypass valve 456 is provided inbypass line 455. Depending upon the desired temperature of the chilledbeverage the hot gas valve 456 is set to a pre-determine pressuresetting. By way of example, the refrigerant cooling system 400 of thisembodiment may be used to produce chilled shots of an alcoholic beverageof 5° F., as well as chill a beverage such as beer to a temperature of29° F. To produce chilled beverage at a temperature of 5° F. the hot gasvalve 456 would be set at a back side pressure of approximately 250-270psi. To produce chilled beverage at a temperature of approximately 29°F., the hot gas valve would be set at a back side pressure ofapproximately 150 psi. The cooling system 400 of this embodiment is alsoa critical charge type system in which just enough refrigerant isprovided to fill the system with the use of or need for a refrigerantreservoir. In operation, the cooling system operates continuously withrefrigerant being continually circulated through the cold plate. As withthe hot gas bypass valve system shown in FIG. 7, the continuousoperation of cooling system 400 could lead to a “freezing up” of thecold plate depending upon the beverage being chilled. This is avoided bythe provision of bypass valve 456 on bypass line 455. Bypass valve 456is set to open when the back side hot gas pressure reaches a certainpredetermined level. When the hot gas back pressure reaches the pre-setlevel hot gas valve 456 opens and the refrigerant is drawn throughbypass line 455 back into the condenser 430 rather than through coldplate 424. This prevents the cold plate from being cooled to a levelwhich would cause the cold plate to freeze the beverage flowing throughthe beverage lines cast within the cold plate. When the temperature ofthe cool plate rises to a predetermined level, the change in hot gasback pressure will cause hot gas valve 456 to close. This, in turn,re-introduces the flow of refrigerant through the cold plate 424. Toprovide greater accuracy or control over the temperature of the systemin this embodiment pressure regulator 460 is provided between cold plate424 and accumulator 426. Pressure regulator 460 allows the operator tocontrol the pressure of the refrigerant as it exits the cold plate whichin turn more accurately controls the temperature of the cold plate andthe beverage being chilled by the cold plate. By setting the pressureregulator 460 to a certain predetermined pressure one can control thelength of time the refrigerant is retained within the cold plate 424thereby either increasing or decreasing the time the refrigerant is incooling engagement with the beverage. To increase the time pressureregulator 460 is set at a higher pressure and to decrease the time it isset at a lower pressure. An electronic pressure control unit 462 isprovided whereby the operator can more easily set pressure regulator 460as well as bypass valve 456. Suitable pressure control units, such asthose marketed by Alco, are known to those skilled in the art.

In another alternate embodiment of the invention, the cold platedisclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 10/633,728, for Coil Baskethaving the same inventor as the subject invention may be utilized. Thedisclosure of application Ser. No. 10/633,728 is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

As show in FIGS. 4 and 5, this cold plate utilizes a beverage line coilbasket having a plurality of clips or Y-connectors to take a singleinlet line and separate it into a plurality of lines within the coldplate and then reduce the plurality of lines back down to a singleoutlet line. This allows for greater exposure of the beverage to therefrigerant lines within the cold plate to maximize the cooling effectof the cold plate on the beverage.

The beverage line circulation system shown in isolation in FIGS. 4 and 5includes an inlet 50 formed with a connector portion 58 that connects tothe beverage line. The inlet 50 further includes a straight pipe portion60 leading to a cylindrical compartment 65 with a longitudinal axistraverse with the longitudinal axis of the straight pipe portion 60. Thecylindrical compartment 65 has an inlet 70 at a centered position on itstop surface where the straight pipe portion 60 is welded, such thatbeverage conducted through the straight pipe portion 60 enters and fillsthe cylindrical compartment 65. The cylindrical compartment 65 includestwo outlets 75 on the bottom surface equally spaced from the centralinlet location, and each outlet 75 is welded to an intermediate inlettubing element 80 such that each intermediate inlet tubing element 80receives an equal distribution of the beverage flow entering thecylindrical compartment 65. Here, the internal diameter of eachintermediate segment 80 is smaller compared with the inner diameter ofthe straight pipe section 65, and the pair of intermediate segments 80are preferably arranged in a parallel orientation having conformingcurvatures forming an elbow section 88. The transition from a singleflow through the straight pipe 60 of the inlet 50 to the pair ofintermediate segments 80 constitutes a first stage.

The two intermediate segments 80 at the end of the elbow 88 eachterminate in a Y-connector or splitter clip 90 that further divides theflow in each intermediate segment 80 into two smaller, beverage tubes95. Again, the outlets 98 of the Y-connector 90 are spaced equal distantfrom the inlet 94 so as to equalize the flow between the two beveragetubes 95. It may be necessary to stagger the location of theY-connecters 90 in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 5 in order tominimize the profile of the basket 10, since the Y-connectors 90 have awidth greater than the width of two beverage tubes 95. Placing the twoY-connectors 90 at the same vertical location could unnecessarily widenthe basket 10 at that point, so slightly staggering the position of theY-connectors provides a more compact configuration. The creation of thefour beverage lines 95 from the two intermediate segments 80 comprisesthe second stage.

The four beverage tubes 95 are preferably arranged substantially in acommon plane as shown in FIG. 5, and assimilate into the grouping of therefrigerant conducting tubes. Because the beverage flow has been reducedin two stages, each stage exactly doubling the lines of the previousstage, the resultant flows are equally balanced and each beverage (beer)line is subjected to the same heat exchanging conditions.

The four tubes 95 conducting the beverage converge into two intermediateoutlet segments 115 in the same manner as that described for the inletstage two. That is, two Y-connectors 120 each consolidate two beveragetubes 95 into an intermediate segment 115 having an inner diameterlarger than the inner diameter of the heat exchanger tubes 95. The twointermediate outlet segments 115 feed to a cylindrical compartment 120along a bottom surface thereof, where the inlets 118 to the cylindricalcompartment 120 are equally spaced from a centrally disposed outlet 125.The outlet 125 feeds a single straight pipe section 130 leading tobeverage outlet 140 of the cold plate with connector portion 142 thatcarries the end of a beverage line connecting the cold plate withbeverage dispenses 10a, b shown in FIG. 1.

In describing the above beverage circulating system, the termY-connector or splitter should be interpreted broadly as any fluiddividing member that has either one inlet line and two outlet lines, ortwo inlet lines and one outlet. Thus, the cylindrical compartmentsdescribed with respect to the first stage division and consolidationshould be considered Y-connectors for purposes of this application.Likewise, clips or other flow dividers that provide a 2 for 1 flowdivision or flow consolidation are also properly consideredY-connectors.

Each stage of the beverage flow subdivision is preferably accompanied bya reduction in the inner diameter of the downstream tubing, but in apreferred embodiment the cross-sectional area of the two downstreamtubing is greater than the cross sectional area of the upstream tubing.This increase in the flow capacity of the downstream tubing results in aslowing of the fluid flow through the cold plate leading to moreefficient heat exchange conditions. That is, the resident time for thebeverage in the cold plate is increased and thus the efficiency of theheat exchange is improved when compared to faster moving beverage flow.

While the description above discloses two stages of beverage subdivisionforming four discrete beverage tubes 95, the present invention can beexpanded to a third stage of subdivision wherein the four beverage tubesare replaced with four transitional tubes that each incorporate aY-connector at a staggered position with respect to each other to yieldeight individual beverage conducting tubes in a manner similar to thatdescribed above. Employing eight beverage lines increases the availablecontact area with the refrigerant conducting lines and can further slowthe flow of beverage in the manner described above. However, machiningsmaller tubes can be more expensive and increase the overall cost of thecold plate. Further, because the walls of the tubing are minimized inthe beverage portion of the basket to facilitate heat transfer, smallertubes may be susceptible to crimping which can block flow and negativelyimpact heat transfer. Those skilled in the art will recognize thatadditional stages of subdivision can be provided to allow for additionalbeverage lines if desired. The ultimate number of beverage lines N canbe characterized as N=2s, where S is the number of stresses and S isgreater or equal to 2.

It is to be understood that the subject invention is not to be limitedto the specific embodiment disclosed herein but is to be accorded thefull breadth and scope of the appended claims.

1. A beverage dispensing cooling system for dispensing chilled beveragescomprising: a refrigerant condenser; a cold plate; a heat exchanger; anaccumulator; a compressor; and a bypass valve positioned within a bypassline positioned between the heat exchanger and the cold plate, whereinsaid cooling system is filled with a critical charge of refrigerant andfurther wherein said cooling system operates continuously with therefrigerant circulating through the system and wherein said bypass valveis set to a predetermined back pressure and upon aid pressure beingreached said bypass valve opens and diverts the flow of refrigerant fromthe cold plate to the condenser.
 2. The beverage dispensing coolingsystem of claim 1 further including a pressure regulator to control thepressure of the refrigerant as it exits the cold plate.
 3. The beveragedispensing cooling system of claim 2 further including means forcontrolling said pressure regulator and said bypass valve.
 4. A beveragedispensing cooling system for dispensing chilled beverages comprising: arefrigerant condenser; a beverage cooling unit; an accumulator; acompressor; a receiver tank; a pressure switch; an evaporator valve influid communication with the accumulator and the beverage cooling unit;and a line valve in fluid communication with the refrigerant condenserand the receiver tank; wherein the pressure switch monitors pressure ofrefrigerant between the beverage cooling unit and the accumulator, andthe pressure switch causes the evaporator valve and the line valve toopen and close in response to the monitored pressure, to controlcirculation of refrigerant within the cooling system.
 5. A beveragedispensing cooling system as defined in claim 4, wherein the systemfurther comprises a time delay relay in communication with theevaporator valve and the line valve.
 6. A beverage dispensing coolingsystem as defined in claim 4, wherein the system further comprises adefrost valve in between the compressor and the beverage cooling unit.7. A beverage dispensing cooling system as defined in claim 6, whereinthe system comprises a defrost switch which, when deployed, causes thedefrost valve to open.
 8. A beverage dispensing cooling system asdefined in claim 7, wherein the defrost switch is a manually-operableswitch.
 9. A beverage dispensing cooling system as defined in claim 4,wherein the system further comprises a thermal expansion valve inbetween the receiver tank and the beverage cooling unit.
 10. A beveragedispensing cooling system as defined in claim 4, wherein the systemfurther comprises a compressor pressure switch in communication with thecompressor, the compressor pressure switch causing the compressor toturn on and off as pressure of refrigerant flowing into the compressorfalls and rises.
 11. A beverage dispensing cooling system as defined inclaim 4, wherein the cooling system is contained within a housing.
 12. Abeverage dispensing cooling system as defined in claim 4, wherein whenthe evaporator valve and the line valve close, gaseous refrigerant ispumped from the accumulator into the compressor until the compressorpressure switch shuts off the compressor.